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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. R. WHITE.

GATE. No. 493,539. Patented Mar. 14, 1893.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-'Sheet 2. W. R. WHITE.

- GATE; No. 493,539. Patented Mar. 14, 1893.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

W. R. WHITE. GATE.

No. 493,539. Patented Mar. 14, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM RICHARD WHITE, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,539, dated March14, 1893.

Application filed August 18, 1892- Serial No. 443,394.. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern- Be it known that- I, WILLIAM RICHARD WHITE,a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, in the countyof McLean and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to gates, and it consists of the improved means foropening and closing the same, means for locking and unlocking the gateboth in its open and closed positions, and in various improvements inthe details of construction of the gate, all of which will behereinafter set forth, and which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, of which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a gate embodying my invention. Fig. 2is a detail plan view illustrating the post against which the free endof the gate swings when closed. Fig. 3 is a detail view in plan showingthe catch for holding the gate open. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the gate,partly broken away and the catch for holding it open. Fig. 5 is a detailperspective view illustrating the means for connecting the operatinglevers with the steadying or guide bar or arm. Figs. 6, 7, and 8, areviews illustrating different forms of the frame I, from that shown inFig. 1.

In the drawings, A, represents the gate hinged to a post, B, andarranged to swing to and from a post, D, placed in line with the post,B, and to which one end of the fence, E, is secured.

O, is a post situated beside the roadway to which the gate swings whenopened as is usual in this class of gates.

The gate is operated from the roadway, on either side of the gate bymeans of operating levers, G, G, to which may be secured handles, a, theoperating levers being connected with the gate through the media ofconnecting rods, bars or arms and a frame projecting laterally from thegate. This laterally projecting frame may be variously constructed and Ihave in the drawings illustrated several different forms thereof, andhave in the several views designated it as a whole by the letter, I.

b is a connecting rod situated between this laterally projecting frameand the operating levers. I have shown one connecting rod, 1),

and this is at its upper end connected to the inner end of the vibratingguide or steadying arm, a, to which the operating levers are connected.It will be evident that two connecting rods extending directly from theends of the operating levers to the frame, I, might be employed in placeof the construction shown, and such a construction as I have justsuggested is shown in my application Serial No. 434,136, filed May24,1892.

The inner ends of the operating levers are steadied by connection Withthe arm, 0, butit is evident that other means for steadying and guidingthem might be employed, examples thereof being illustrated in my othersaid application. When a single vibrating steadying arm, 0, is employed,I prefer to connect the end of the operating levers therewith asillustrated in detail in Fig. 5. As therein shown one of the levers isconnected directly to the arm at some distance from its end by a looseor hinged joint, g, while the other lever is connected with the arm by alink, F. This link is loosely connected or hinged, at g, to the end ofthe lever, while its connection with the arm, 0, is such that it canturn in a horizontal plane, such a connection being secured by bending aportion of the link, h, at right angles to the main part thereof andpassing it vertically through the arm, 0, near its outer end.

When the operating levers are in their horizontal positions their innerends are close together, but when the latter are raised or lowered theyare somewhat separated, and the connection of one of the levers with thearm, 0, through the medium of the link, F, permits the ends of thelevers to move toward and from each other without the straining orbinding of any parts.

The connecting rod, 1), is secured to the frame, I, at a point oppositethe vertical line which would pass across the gate about one fifth ofthe distance from the hinges to the free end thereof, while its otherend is connected to the steadying arm, a, at a point which is above thecentral portion of the gate when it is swung open. This arrangement ofthe connecting rod overcomes the danger of the gates stopping on adeadcenter either upon being opened or upon beingclosed, and also requiresvery little sweep or motion on the part of the operating levers in orderto effect the opening and closing of the gate. It also permits theoperating levers to be inclined so that their outer ends extend above orpartially across the roadway and the depending handles, a, may begrasped without having to turn from the roadway to reach them.Ordinarily this is impracticable because thelevers in moving up and downwould interfere with the tops of covered vehicles, loads of hay, &c.,whereas with the arrangement of the gate operating devices justdescribed, the movement of the levers is so small-from ten to fourteeninches at their outer ends,that they can be arranged at a practicableheight, and yet not interfere with vehicles or their loads. It will befurther observed that when the gate is closed the connecting rod, b,inclines forward or toward the free end of the gate, while when the gateis open the connecting rod inclines away therefrom. The advantagesresulting from this construction will be pointed out hereinafter.

The connection of the operatinglevers with the gate through the frame,1, serves as a means of automatically locking and unlocking the sameboth in its open and closed positions. m is a sliding bolt or bar towhich is connected one member, 2, of the frame, I, the other membersofthe frame, 3 and 4 being variously arranged and secured as shown in thedrawings and as will be hereinafter described.

The post, D, may be provided with a catch of any suitable descriptionadapted to receive the forward end of the bolt or latch, m. I preferhowever that this post should be con structed as illustrated in Fig. 2.That is to say, the post, D, is made up of two posts 5 and 6, the formerbeing the one against which the gate swings when closed, and the latterbeing set at an angle thereto and on that side of the post 5 occupied bythe ga e. The post 6 is also set back somewhat so that the gate swingspast or in front of it in opening and closing. The V-shaped recess 7between the two posts is utilized to receive the locking end of thebolt, on, which thereby holds the gate in its closed position until thebolt is withdrawn. The inclined face 8 of the post 6 may be faced withiron to prevent undue wear from the rubbing of the end of the bolt, asthe gate is repeatedly closed.

At 9, the post 6 projects beyond the post 5 on the side away from thegate and forms a shoulder against which the end of the fence, E, mayrest and be secured.

10 is a spring catch or book carried by the post, 0, and adapted toengage with the bar or bolt, m, and hold the gate in its open position.In order that it may easily engage with the bolt, m, I provide thelatter with a projecting pin 11 upon which the hook catches when thegate is opened. The bolt, m, receives its motion to lock the gate bothin its closed and its open positions from the momentom. of the partsconstituting the gate operating devices. Thus, when the gate is beingclosed the momentum of these parts carries the bolt forward into therecess 7 in the post, D. when the gate is suddenly stopped by comingagainst such post. When the gate is being opened and is arrested bycontact with the post, 0, the momentum of the gate operating devicestends to carry the bolt backward in position to engage with the catch,10.

The inclination of the red, 19, toward the forward end of the gate whenthe same is closed, and away therefrom when it is open, as hereinbeforedescribed, gives proper direction to the inertia or momentum of the gateoperating devices to effect the movements of the gate bolt or latch justdescribed. When the hand levers are operated, the direction of the forcetransmitted through the connecting rod, b, is the reverse of that whichit receives from the inertia of the gate operating devices, and hencethe gate is unlocked thereby.

In my aforesaid application I have shown a' construction wherein thegate operating devices were connected .to a frame projecting laterallyfrom the gate, a member or part of which frame was con nected with thegate bolt or latch which was withdrawn to unlock the gate whentheoperating devices were moved. In such application, the part or memberof the laterally projecting frame had a rocking or turning motion. Inthe forms of my invention herein shown the part or member of thelaterally projecting frame which connects with the gate latch or bolthas a lateral instead of a rotary or turning motion to effect themovement of the latch or bolt.

The member or part 2 of theframe, I, is the one connected with thelocking bolt of the gate and to which a lateral motion is imparted asabove described. The other members 3 and 4 of the frame serve as braces,one of them inclining upward and the other downward by preference. Thethree members of the frame, I, are connected together at their outerends, and it is at or adjacent to their point of union that theconnecting rod, b, is preferably secured to the frame, I. Theconstruction of the frame, I, can be varied to a considerable extent,and I will now describe the different forms thereof shown in thedrawings.

In Fig. 1 the three parts, 2, 3, and 4 of the frame are composed ofseparate pieces of metal, preferably of rod-form, their outer ends beingbrought together, and united by a bolt 12. The inner ends of the parts 3and 4 are connected to the upper and lower ends respectively of the rearor inner upright piece, a, of the gate.

In Fig. 6, the construction of the frame, I, is similar to that shown inFig. 1 except that the outer ends of the parts 2, 3, and 4 of the frameare welded together instead of being connected by the bolt 12. This formdoes not possess the flexibility of construction shown in Fig. 1, buthas sufficient spring to allow the member 2, to move laterally under theinfluence of the gate operating devices and so to move the latch or boltm.

In Fig. 7, the frame I, difiers from the form shown in Fig. 1, in thatthe members 3 and 4,

of the frame are connected to the post B, at

13, 13, adjacent to the hinges of the gate.

In Fig. 8, the members 3and 4, of the frame are connected to a supportsituated at some distance from the post B. Such a support may be in theform of an arm ll, projecting from the post B, or in the form of a shortpost 15, situated between the posts B and O, indicated by the dottedlines.

The different members or parts of the frame I, may be of wood instead ofmetal in each of the constructions except that shown in Fig. 6. Wherethe post 15, is used, wood is the ma terial best adapted for use.

What I claim is- 1. The combination with a swinging gate, of a bolt orlatch therefor, the vibrating gate operatinglevers having their innerends above and both on the same side of the gate, a laterally projectingframe arranged between the ends of the gate and projecting from the sidethereof toward the inner ends of the operating levers so as to moveunder the inner end of the gate-operating levers as the gate moves fromits closed to its opened positions, and vice versa, the said framehaving a laterally movable member connected with the latch and with thegate operating levers, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a gate, the sliding bolt or latch, the gateoperating devices, and a laterally projecting frame with which the gateoperating devices are connected, consisting of a laterally movablemember 2, connected with the gate bolt or latch, and the two bracingpieces 3 and 4, one inclining upward and the other downwardsubstantially as described.

3. The combination of a gate, the sliding bolt or latch, the gateoperating devices and the laterally projecting frame, I, to which thegate operating devices are connected, consisting of the laterallymovable member 2, connected with the sliding bolt and the bracingmembers 3 and 4, the outer ends of the members 2, 3 and 4: meeting andbeing connected at their outer ends by a bolt 12, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination of a gate, a sliding bolt or latch, the gateoperating devices and the laterally projecting frame, I, having a member2, connected with the sliding bolt and laterally movable, and themembers 3 and 4 connected at their outer ends with the member, 2, and attheir inner ends turning on supports situated adjacent to the inner endof the gate, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a swinging gate, a sliding locking bolt or latch,a laterally projecting frame having a movable member connected with suchlatch, the gate operating levers, the connecting rod, b, connected withthe operating levers and with the said frame and arranged when the gateis closed to incline toward the forward end of the gate and when thegate is open to incline rearward or away from the forward end of thegate, whereby the momentum of the operating levers is transmitted to thelatch, moving it in one direction when the gate is opened and in theopposite direction when the gate is closed, and the catches with. whichthe latch engages by reason of such momentum arranged to hold the gatein its closed and open positions substantially as described.

6. The combination with a swinging gate, and the sliding latch therefor,of the post B, composed of the part 5 situated in the path of the gateand against which the free end thereof swings when the gate is closed,and the part 6 set at an angle to the part 5 and back of or out of lineof the movement of the gate whereby there is formed a recess 7 intowhich the sliding bolt enters, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with the gate, of the post against which the free endof the gate rests when closed, composed of the two posts 5 and 6 set atan angle to each other to form the recess 7 and to form a shoulder 9 onthe side away from the gate against which the end of the fence may rest,substantially as described.

8. The combination of a swinging gate, the operating levers, the singlevibrating guiding or steadying arm to which the inner ends of both thelevers are connected,the connection between one of the levers and thearm being a link,and the connecting rod between the said arm and thegate, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a swinging gate, the operating levers, G, G, thesingle vibrating guiding or steadying arm, a, to which one of the leversis directly connected, the link, F, uniting the other lever to the arm,and the connecting rod, 17, connected with the arm a, and with the gate,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM RICHARD WHITE.

WVitnesses:

U. A. GREGG, MATTIE WHITE.

